Could the Lions be the Cincinnati Bengals of the 2022 NFL season?

2. Depth at running back

The Lions still have not had a 1,000-yard rusher since Reggie Bush in 2013. But D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams both topped 600 rushing yards last season. Swift also had over 1,000 yards from scrimmage, despite missing essentially five games and having a limited workload when he returned from a shoulder injury for two games at the end of the season.

During his run as the Lions’ lead back, Craig Reynolds showed he belonged somewhere in the future picture of Detroit’s backfield. Godwin Igwebuike is a restricted free agent and may or may not be back, 2021 late-round pick Jermar Jefferson will be back and the Lions could look to add outside depth.

The Bengals have Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine as their top two running backs, with younger guys Chris Evans and Trayveon Williams down the depth chart. That is pretty similar to how the Lions’ running back depth chart looks.

The broad value of the running back position in the NFL these days is easily debated or dismissed. But there’s no doubt about how important it is to have depth at the position. The Bengals had it last season during their surprising Super Bowl run, and the Lions absolutely do too looking toward the 2022 season.